Into the Water â Reading Group Questions
Into the Water – Reading Group Questions
Family relationships, particularly the bond between sisters, feature heavily in Into the Water. How do you think Lena is affected by Nel and Jules’s estrangement? How does it influence her friendship with Katie? Jules and Nel’s estrangement hinges on a misremembering of an event in their past. Are there any childhood or teenage memories you have that are no longer as clear when you look back now? How has this novel made you view your past, and the way it reflects upon your present? Within the novel there are several inappropriate relationships – for example, Katie and Mark; Sean and Nel; Helen and Patrick. How does the depiction of the relationships between these characters affect your interpretation of their behaviour and actions? ‘Beckford is not a suicide spot. Beckford is a place to get rid of troublesome women.’ Discuss the gender dynamic in Into the Water. How much power does each of the women in the novel hold? What are the different types of power they hold? Into the Water contains several different voices and perspectives. How did this structure affect your reading of the novel?
Family relationships, particularly the bond between sisters, feature heavily in Into the Water. How do you think Lena is affected by Nel and Jules’s estrangement? How does it influence her friendship with Katie? Jules and Nel’s estrangement hinges on a misremembering of an event in their past. Are there any childhood or teenage memories you have that are no longer as clear when you look back now? How has this novel made you view your past, and the way it reflects upon your present? Within the novel there are several inappropriate relationships – for example, Katie and Mark; Sean and Nel; Helen and Patrick. How does the depiction of the relationships between these characters affect your interpretation of their behaviour and actions? ‘Beckford is not a suicide spot. Beckford is a place to get rid of troublesome women.’ Discuss the gender dynamic in Into the Water. How much power does each of the women in the novel hold? What are the different types of power they hold? Into the Water contains several different voices and perspectives. How did this structure affect your reading of the novel?
